“Gogi was never in here, so you might as well be!” Macha shouted to one Dragic about another.

Goran Dragic might be gone, but for Zoran, the shadow remains.

As the brother of an NBA point guard, Zoran Dragic might have long since gotten used to references to his older brother. Through a few days in the Rockets’ summer minicamp, however, references to the Dragic who got away have been inescapable.

Jokes will get old eventually, but for now, they could help lighten any awkwardness that might have been waiting as he tries to make the team that his brother spurned. Goran plans on Wednesday to sign the four-year Suns deal that the Rockets would not offer. Zoran will begin his fifth day of practices in preparation for Friday’s start of summer league.

“A little bit it is awkward to come here, because he is gone,” Zoran said. “But that’s basketball. That’s business. I’m happy to be here.

“When I heard he was going to go to Phoenix, everybody was a little bit sad because he’s gone.”

All joking aside

Zoran Dragic had committed to play for the Rockets’ summer league team well before free agency began. When summer practices began, the Dragic brothers still believed Zoran would be playing this summer with hopes of becoming his older brother’s teammate.

With Goran moving on, Zoran has been left to take the kidding.

“Some days, I hope they don’t tease me any more about that, but I know they are just playing with me,” Zoran said. “It’s nothing serious.”

He has already caught the Rockets’ eye with a steady, professional style that has stood out among the rookies and the usual summer league frenzy. Where Goran, a point guard, would push to the edge of out of control, Zoran, a 6-5 shooting guard, is steadier, more restrained.

“Zoran’s been really good,” coach Kevin McHale said. “He was really good (Monday) night. A lot of guys hit the wall (Tuesday), our fifth practice in three days. He knows how to play. Those guys over there, they’ve played a lot of games. Zoran comes in, and he is more, ‘I’m going to do my thing.’ ”

He has been more inclined just to play his game, rather than to seek to impress. Still, he knew there was a long way to go to grow from an All-Star in the Slovenian League to a player on an NBA team.

“It’s a little bit different than in Europe,” Dragic said. “They play here harder and more physical. For me, it’s good to see the other side. I hope to play good in summer league and show what I’ve got. Always, it was my dream to come to the NBA because of my brother and because the NBA is the best league in the world. If you can play here, you can play anywhere. That’s the goal.”

Zoki vs. Gogi

For Dragic, there could even be the added bonus of going against Goran. He had hoped to play with his brother, as they had on the Slovenian national team. Always a younger brother, he seemed to love the idea of playing against him.

“Oh, really,” Dragic said. “I know him better than all of you.”

Until then, he will be identified as Goran’s younger brother. Where Goran was known as Gogi, Zoran is Zoki. He does not, however, want to share his brother’s Western nickname, Dragon, though if he gets a spot on an NBA roster the same year of Goran’s breakthrough and free-agent windfall, it would truly be the year of the Dragon.

“Everybody wants to have that kind of brother who has succeeded in basketball,” Dragic said. “I just follow him.”